The conversation between two young college coaches also proved to be a valuable teaching moment for one of them.

The first time Mike Martin met Augie Garrido was in the mid-1970s during summer baseball in Wichita, Kansas.

At that time, Martin was an assistant coach under Woody Woodward at Florida State.

Garrido, five years older than Martin, was the head coach at Cal State Fullerton, where he led the Titans’ transition into Division I and to the College World Series in 1975.

Garrido also coached summer baseball in Alaska, and one of his players in the collegiate league was FSU catcher Terry Kennedy (1975-77).

Kennedy was a two-time All-American for the Seminoles and the sixth overall selection in the 1977 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Garrido told Martin he felt, as a coach, that he let Kennedy down.

Garrido believed it was a coach’s duty to motivate players.

“I was really surprised to hear that comment,” said Martin, FSU’s head coach since 1980.

“Being a young coach, I had never heard that from a coach, ‘I let the player down.’ Augie felt like he didn’t get thru to him.

“And that always resonated with me.”

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FSU Head Coach Mike Martin celebrates his 1900th win with his team after they defeated VCU 11-3 at Dick Howser Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

Garrido, the winningest baseball coach in NCAA history, died Thursday after suffering a stroke. He was 79.

Garrido finished with 1,975 victories in a career that began in 1969 and included five College World Series titles - three at Cal State Fullerton and two at Texas - and 15 CWS appearances.

After their first meeting more than 40 years ago, Martin is on the verge of passing Garrido as college baseball’s all-time winningest coach.

Martin needs 18 wins to pass Garrido’s total. The Seminoles look to snap a three-game losing streak in their home ACC series against Notre Dame starting Friday.

By happenchance, Martin ran into Garrido at a steakhouse in Omaha, Nebraska, at the CWS last June.

It was the last time Martin talked or seen Garrido.

“We shot the breeze for about 30 minutes – I can’t get out of my mind when I look back at the times we had together,” Martin said.

"I got up this (Friday) morning and I can't believe Augie's gone."

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FSU Head Coach Mike MArtin works with Quincy Nieporte on his swing during their 7-3 win over Stetson at Dick Howser Stadium on Wednesday, April 19, 2017. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)

Martin said the two never discussed his pursuit of the all-time wins record, instead focusing on families, life and friendships.

In an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat in June 2017, Garrido said Martin’s impact extended beyond the field.

“To me he represents the values that we cherish in educational systems because not only is he passing on how to bunt, how to play baseball, but he’s passing along life lessons that all of us know that work in universities or pay attention to what universities are supposed to do, he has accomplished that at the highest level," Garrido said.

Garrido set the career wins record in 2003 at Texas when the Longhorns beat top-ranked FSU in NCAA regional player for his 1,428th win.

Eleven years later, he broke the record for all collegiate coaches in a 5-1 win over Texas State.

Garrido told the Democrat he was happy for Martin and that the wins record would be earned.

“It’s not going to redefine the body of work I put out there,” said Garrido, who served as a special assistant to the athletic director at Texas following his coaching retirement in 2016.

“The definition of what we do – and I think Mike would agree with this – is based on the relationships that we develop. The wins feed the beast. But the rewards for us – they can’t take those away whether you have one win or two thousand wins – it’s still about the people.”